Over 16,000 fans experienced a top-class final at the Eissporthalle Frankfurt during the BetVictor World Cup of Darts. Luke Littler and Luke Humphries defeated the Netherlands 10-5, securing their first joint title and England’s sixth victory in the history of the World Cup of Darts. With this triumph, the duo collected prize money of £100,000.
In the final, the top four players in the world rankings faced each other: Littler and Humphries against Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen. After a balanced opening phase, the English duo pulled away decisively. With a break, alongside two 12-darters and one 15-darter, Littler and Humphries surged ahead to 6-2. Although the Dutchmen temporarily narrowed the gap to 8-5, three missed doubles from van Gerwen and van Veen allowed England to seize the opportunity and close out the match for a 10-5 final score. Averaging 104.77 points, the English duo recorded the highest average of the entire tournament.
“We had a lot of doubters. People who thought we wouldn’t play well as a team and could only do it individually. That’s why I’m proud of both of us,” a relieved Luke Humphries said after the tournament. Following their first joint title at the World Cup of Darts, the Englishman quickly set his sights on future goals: “There is so much pressure on our shoulders. Everyone expects us to win. We feel that too. Adrian Lewis and Phil Taylor won it four times. We want to win it five times!”
Luke Littler also confirmed afterwards that he intends to compete alongside Luke Humphries again at the World Cup of Darts next year:
“100 percent, I will be back next year. There is no reason to win the title and then not play the following year.”
Littler Only Needs One More Major
With the victory in Frankfurt, Luke Littler has won all Majors in the year 2026. Now, the 19-year-old only needs the European Championship title to complete his career Major collection. For Luke Humphries, this marks his second World Cup of Darts title. In 2024, he won the team world championship alongside Michael Smith.
Defending Champions Northern Ireland Eliminated in Semifinals
The Netherlands put on a strong tournament with their newly formed duo of Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen, reaching a World Cup of Darts final together for the first time. In the semifinals, they had convincingly beaten defending champions Northern Ireland 8-2, putting an end to their title defense.
Germany Fails in the Quarterfinals
For hosts Germany, the home tournament came to an end in the quarterfinals. Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko suffered a 4-8 defeat against the eventual finalists from the Netherlands. On their way there, however, both had made history: in their group stage match against the Philippines, the German duo averaged 101.90 points – a new German record at the World Cup of Darts. Martin Schindler played a major role in this achievement with a personal average of 120.69 points.
Latvia with Historic Respectable Success
Madars Razma and Valters Melderis caused a major stir at the tournament. The Latvian duo only narrowly missed out on a sensation in the quarterfinals, losing 7-8 to defending champions Northern Ireland. Nevertheless, reaching the quarterfinals marks the best result in Latvia’s history at the World Cup of Darts.
Two Debutants in Frankfurt
Trinidad and Tobago and Mongolia celebrated their debuts at the World Cup of Darts. Uganda was also originally scheduled to debut but had to withdraw due to visa issues and was replaced by Gibraltar.
